Survey of stand-alone photovoltaic programmes and applications in developing countries

Issue date:

2000/05/01

Description:

This paper details the key findings of a survey of PV programmes and applications in 21 developing countries undertaken as part of IEA PVPS Task 3: Stand-alone and Island Applications of Photovoltaic Power Systems. The paper presents demographic and geographic data for each of the countries in the survey, including literacy rates, poverty levels - as given by the population on an income of less than 1 USD per day - and GDP per capita. Data on the status of national electricity generating capacity and electricity production was collected and summarised, as well as data on the population in each country without access to electricity services. Data on PV programmes and markets were also collected and summarized. All of the countries included in the survey had some experience with stand-alone photovoltaic power systems. For many of the countries, this was largely for social, health or educational applications, often funded by international agencies and installed as demonstration or pilot programmes. Most of the countries had plans with regard to the electrification of rural areas. A number of countries had policies and targets for rural electrification that explicitly included reference to the use of PV and/or other renewable energy sources. A summary of existing programmes on rural electrification and PV and the status of import duties and tariffs in the surveyed countries is given in the main report. One of the common features among the survey countries was the lack of finance available for the purchase of PV systems, either through cash sales or through affordable credit. This was especially problematic in rural areas, where the population was often reliant upon subsistence agriculture and informal employment. As this demographic group represented the largest market for stand-alone photovoltaic power systems, the problem of finance needs to be addressed in order to develop the potential market.